Freedom Movement of Iran

The Freedom Movement of Iran was a liberal political party in Iran that was founded on 17 May 1961 by former cabinet official Mehdi Bazargan and moderate Islamist cleric Mahmoud Taleghani. The party was formed by supporters of the ousted Mohammad Mosaddegh, advocating national sovereignty, freedom of expression, Islamic social justice, constitutionalism, the separation of church and state, and human rights. The party operated mostly outside of the country, with renowned socialist Ali Shariati founding a branch of the party in France and Mostafa Chamran founding a branch in the United States. The party was one of the leading opposition parties during the Iranian Revolution, but it became unpopular due to its moderate views and its opposition to the Iran-Iraq War during the 1980s. After Bazargan's resignation as Prime Minister in November 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini's government suppressed dissent in the country, and the party was barely tolerated in the Majlis. In 2000, the Iranian government launched another crackdown against the party, arresting dozens of the group's activists and making the party non-operational.